Top 14 Day 11

[racingmetro92]

Toulouse - Montpellier
Racing Metro - Mont de Marsan
Clermont - Toulon
Stade Francais - Agen
Biarritz - Perpignan
Bordeaux Bègles - Castres
Grenoble - Bayonne




Toulon's squad :
Steffon Armitage, Bakkies Botha, Sébastien Bruno, Xavier Chiocci, Carl Hayman, Pierrick Gunther, Nick Kennedy, David Kubriashvili, Chris Masoe, Konstantin Mikautadze, Jean-Charles Orioli, Simon Shaw, Andrew Sheridan, Joe van Niekerk
Delon Armitage, Mathieu Bastareaud, Nicolas Durand, Matt Giteau, Benjamin Lapeyre, Vincent Martin, Geoffroy Messina, David Smith, Sébastien Tillous-Borde, Jonny Wilkinson

Bayonne's squad :
Grégory Arganese, Marc Baget, Guillaume Bernad, Abdelatif Boutaty, Renaud Boyoud, Mark Chisholm, Dwayne Haare, Aretz Iguiniz, Pierre-Philippe Lafond, Vitolio Manukula, Jean-Joseph Marmouyet, Julien Puricelli, David Roumieu, Dewald Senekal, Neemia Tialata
Benjamin Boyet, Cédric Garcia, Sam Gerber, Thibault Lacroix, Lionel Mazars, Marvin O'Connor, Christophe Loustalot, Joe Rokocoko, Scott Spedding, Benamin Ugalde

 

[Tony Manx]

Toulouse - Montpellier
Racing Metro - Mont de Marsan
Clermont - Toulon
Stade Francais - Agen
Biarritz - Perpignan
Bordeaux Bègles - Castres
Grenoble - Bayonne




Toulon's squad :
Steffon Armitage, Bakkies Botha, Sébastien Bruno, Xavier Chiocci, Carl Hayman, Pierrick Gunther, Nick Kennedy, David Kubriashvili, Chris Masoe, Konstantin Mikautadze, Jean-Charles Orioli, Simon Shaw, Andrew Sheridan, Joe van Niekerk
Delon Armitage, Mathieu Bastareaud, Nicolas Durand, Matt Giteau, Benjamin Lapeyre, Vincent Martin, Geoffroy Messina, David Smith, Sébastien Tillous-Borde, Jonny Wilkinson

Bayonne's squad :
Grégory Arganese, Marc Baget, Guillaume Bernad, Abdelatif Boutaty, Renaud Boyoud, Mark Chisholm, Dwayne Haare, Aretz Iguiniz, Pierre-Philippe Lafond, Vitolio Manukula, Jean-Joseph Marmouyet, Julien Puricelli, David Roumieu, Dewald Senekal, Neemia Tialata, Benjamin Boyet, Cédric Garcia, Sam Gerber, Thibault Lacroix, Lionel Mazars, Marvin O'Connor, Christophe Loustalot, Joe Rokocoko, Scott Spedding, Benamin Ugalde

Steffan Armitage cleared......

Biarritz team against USAP (courtesy of a contributor to another site!)

Balshaw - Ngwenya, Bosch, Traille (cap.), Brew - (o) Peyrelongue, (m) Yachvili - Guyot, Lakafia, Mr. Lund - Taele, Thion - Van Staden, Heguy Barcella.
Substitutes: August, Blaauw, Dubarry, Molcard, Lesgourfgues, Barraque, or Baby Gimenez, Gomez-Kodela.

Good news is on many levels.......Yach is back (on the way to more international honours!), Traille is not at 10 (although Perylongue is which is not so good) and Barcella starts. Otherwise, it is probably our strongest team and hopefully, if we are to lose, which is always a serious possibility, we will go down fighting and playing rugby!

ST, Racing, Toulon, BO, Castres and Greoble to win although feel more positive about Toulon than BO!!

 

[psychic duck]

Steffan Armitage cleared......

Biarritz team against USAP (courtesy of a contributor to another site!)

Balshaw - Ngwenya, Bosch, Traille (cap.), Brew - (o) Peyrelongue, (m) Yachvili - Guyot, Lakafia, Mr. Lund - Taele, Thion - Van Staden, Heguy Barcella.
Substitutes: August, Blaauw, Dubarry, Molcard, Lesgourfgues, Barraque, or Baby Gimenez, Gomez-Kodela.

Good news is on many levels.......Yach is back (on the way to more international honours!), Traille is not at 10 (although Perylongue is which is not so good) and Barcella starts. Otherwise, it is probably our strongest team and hopefully, if we are to lose, which is always a serious possibility, we will go down fighting and playing rugby!

ST, Racing, Toulon, BO, Castres and Greoble to win although feel more positive about Toulon than BO!!

I really hope Biarritz lose because they have gone to measures and made excuses to stop 3 players from that team playing for their nations this weekend.

Ngwenya, Bosch and Gomez Kodela should all be in Wales right now playing for their countries.

 

[racingmetro92]

Ngwenya, Bosch and Gomez Kodela should all be in Wales right now playing for their countries.

Ngwenya can't play against Wales because he has a problem with his passport

 

[psychic duck]

Ngwenya can't play against Wales because he has a problem with his passport

That's the "official" excuse. But that excuse is clearly a load of ****.

He is a professional player, and has a professionally paid agent to sort these things out for him. Conveniently for Biarritz his "passport problem" just happens to make him available for the only Biarritz match that falls on the same weekend that USA play.

He also travelled and played in the UK as recently ago as last month, funnily enough he had no "passport problems" then.

His unavailability also fits in with a trend of Biarritz getting their internationals not to play this weekend. Marcelo Bosch and Francisco Gomez Kodela are also playing for Biarritz rather than nation.

You would be naïve to believe all the excuses that is made for availability, just like Racing-Métro's Jone Qovu withdrew from the Fiji squad "injured" yet was fit enough to play last week for Racing.

There are dozens of stories about methods used by clubs to prevent players from nations like USA/Fiji appearing for their country.

 

[Tony Manx]

Whilst it is very sad for those of you who put country ahead of club (and I do not!) that this seems to be happening more and more, I do not know the reality behind this particuar situation as have heard and read nothing....and am not doing an Arsne Wenger!

As to whether it is Biarritz totally blocking them from going or putting pressure on them (or paying them not to go) or they are wanting to try and assist their club over and above their Country through a sense of loyalty to the club and their mates, I do not know......................I can well understand the latter and if it is either of the other former possibilities, then they will surely not renew their contracts if they disagee with these actions of the club and it is certain that Zee and Kordela would have little problem finding new clubs and Bosch could also.............If it is the loyalty then gawd bless 'em! The truth will eventually out even if it is only in Balshaw's autobiography...........

As to any passport problems.....his lady agent is extremely professional and, you are right, Zee was in London for the Quins game and, I believe, Wales does not insist on any other form of identification!

One can only trust that the sacrifice will not be in vain............I hope ASM lose 'cos they beat us!!!

 

[Tony Manx]

ST 27 MHL 9

I love the enthusiasm and energy that Galthie has instilled in the <st1<st1:city w:st="on">Montpellier </st1:city>squad and it always looks like they are enjoying their rugby and have confidence (rightly) in each other.
The first try to ST was a typical BO reception of a kick off– dropped, missed, fumble and wallop - Medard is over! A try against the run of territory and possession but that is ST! The game progressed in similar vein in the second half with MHL losing too much line out, showing fine touches but defeated by a very professional outfit.

Big, big gap in class opening between top 3 and the rest and nosurprise it is the money that is talking……..

For ST 8 (Galan), a big lump who takes some stopping, is aready made replacement for Picamoles. Good to see Medard back and looking veryquick still. All round competent display.

PS Would ask what do ST and Bath have in common? Two gash 10's rejected by <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1New Zealand and for good reason…….McCallister and Donald!</st1</st1:country-region></st1

 

[Tony Manx]

Clermont get their half century and thoroughly desereved the wiin over Toulon by 24:21 although the score did not reflect their superiority!!

James missed three kicks, two of which were straightforward but got the, rather lucky, all important final minute penalty. However, the pace of the game and the Clermont defense were immense and Toulon only really had a couple of try scoring chances. Very enjoyable......

 

[ZeFrenchy]

What a finish that was.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Another great performance by Clermont, the crowd willed them to victory which they throughly deserved which now stands at 50 on the trot, another 9 to go!!!!!

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Mont de Marsan beating Racing in Colombes...

 

[Tony Manx]

Well Biarritz won at last and I am now confident that relegtion is not on the menu, this year anyway, as USAP are at least as bad as we are and with a few less points!! 9500+ turned up in foul weather to watch two poor teams create little excitement. Nuf said!

Great victory for MdM....well done lads...with only Bayonne going down from Les Landes/Pay Basques!!!